North East College Invited to Join National Skills Policy Debate

Posted on the 9 March 2017

A North East college has been chosen as
a key destination for a fact-finding mission that could shape future policy on
post-16 education in Britain.

Education Select Committee MPs met with
Gateshead College staff and representatives from the North East Local
Enterprise Partnership, CBI, North East England Chamber of Commerce and local
businesses to learn about the skills challenges facing the region and how they
fit into the government’s modern
industrial strategy.

Launched in January by Prime Minister Theresa May,
the strategy includes plans for a radical overhaul of technical education to address
its historical undervaluation in the UK and provide a credible alternative to
the academic route for young people who choose not to go to university.

The visit to Gateshead College was part
of a two-day fact-finding mission by the six-strong committee, which includes
North East MPs Ian Mearns and Catherine McKinnell. The committee is conducting
an inquiry into post-16 education in Britain and, once it is completed, will
map out a series of recommendations for changes to current skills policy.

Several key topics were under discussion,
including an examination of the recent area review process, how to boost
take-up of apprenticeships and why students choose college over other education
routes. The committee also got a first-hand view of the technical and
vocational skills being provided by Gateshead College to students and regional
businesses.

The event comes after apprenticeships
and skills minister Robert Halfon visited the college in January as part of the
launch of the government’s modern industrial strategy. Since then he has championed
the college’s sterling work in several media outlets and in a speech at the
Westminster Academy in London.

Judith Doyle, principal and chief
executive of Gateshead College, said: “We’re delighted to be helping the
committee with its review of post-16 education. The modern industrial strategy is aligned with much of
the work we’re doing at the college to help young people develop skills that
employers need now and in the future.

“We support the government’s drive to reform
technical education, which has been at the heart of our curriculum for some
time. Our aim is to equip people with the skills and attributes that can help
industry overcome skills shortages and become more competitive.”

Northumberland-born Neil Carmichael MP,
chair of the education committee, said: “The North East is taking part in a
review of its post-16 education provision and we are keen to hear about how the
process is going for our inquiry on this issue. Gateshead College is one of the
best in the country and we welcome this opportunity to learn about good
practice in the sector and consider the role of further education in helping
the country fill the growing skills gap.”

One of only a handful of colleges in the country
to secure Ofsted’s ‘outstanding’ grading in the last academic year,
Gateshead College delivers apprenticeships and other vocational training with
hundreds of companies around the region, including large multi-nationals and
SMEs. The organisation also works closely with local business groups and the
North East LEP to ensure that the training provided is aligned with the
region’s economic priorities for skills development.

Andrew Hodgson, chair of the North East
LEP, said: “Having a workforce that’s fit for purpose is essential for the
region’s future economic prosperity. Our aim is to deliver more and better jobs
in the North East and it’s therefore crucial that we have people with the right skills for these jobs.

“We are working with partners to deliver key
projects and interventions that address skills gaps at all levels, from primary
schools to universities, and the education select committee was extremely
interested to learn about our findings.”